How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Not as I do," replied Abhorsen, smiling so his paper-white face crinkled at the corners and drew back from his equally white teeth. "And I say the child is not yet dead." (P.11-12)
In the prologue, we get the first clue that death—as we know it—isn't quite the same in the Old Kingdom. The Abhorsen claims to know things about death that no one else does, but that's a bit of an understatement.
Quote #2
A moment of weakness and she had broken the promise she'd made both to herself and her father. It was only a rabbit and Jacinth did love it so much—but what would that lead to? It was no great step from bringing back a rabbit to bringing back a person. (1.21)
We've only met Sabriel for a minute, and already we know that she has unbelievable powers—powers that can involve tough moral dilemmas. She just raised a rabbit from the dead, and apparently it's a slippery slope when you're a necromancer. Imagine the temptation. Do you think you could restrain yourself from bringing back a dead pet if you had Sabriel's abilities? How about a dead friend?
Quote #3
Death and what came after death was no great mystery to Sabriel. She just wished it was. (1.23)
This statement about the nature of mortality in Sabriel's world gives a lot of insight into how it's affected Sabriel herself. Although her powers of necromancy are amazing, we see here that they're also a burden.
Quote #4
Sabriel sighed quietly, thinking of how easily seven people could be alive in one instant, and then, despite everything they could do, despite their last hope, they could be dead in just another. Once again, she felt the temptation of the necromancer, to take the cards nature had dealt, to reshuffle and deal again. (4.21)
Even though Sabriel has learned a lot about death, she still finds it really hard to think about. And there's that issue of temptation again. Do you think the temptation is something Sabriel can get used to over time, or will it always be a problem for any Abhorsen?
Quote #5
She felt ill, nauseous, and took several deep breaths. She had forgotten that for all her familiarity with death and the dead, she had never seen or heard anyone actually die. The aftermath she had learned to deal with… but not the event. (4.24)
Sabriel's learned so much about mortality, in theory, but death becomes completely different when it happens in front of her for the first time. This quote also ties in with the theme of growing up—a milestone experience for Sabriel.
Quote #6
Sabriel, eyes closed now, felt the boundary between Life and Death appear. On her back, she felt the wind, now curiously warm, and the moonlight, bright and hot like sunshine. On her face, she felt the ultimate cold and, opening her eyes, saw the grey light of Death. (5.33)
Here's a description of what it's actually like to walk into Death in Sabriel's world. Think of how cold it must be, if Sabriel left her body standing outside in the snow at night, and Death makes that setting feel warm in comparison. What do you think about Garth Nix's physical description of the realm of Death?
Quote #7
Subconsciously, she had always been aware that Abhorsen's spirit had been too long from his body, and too deep in the realm of Death. He could never truly live again. Consciously, she chose to barricade this knowledge from her mind. (22.43)
Knowing about death in theory and actually dealing with it emotionally are two very different things for Sabriel. She hasn't been able to cope with her father's death emotionally, even though she understands so much about death itself. Subconsciously, Sabriel's known all along that her search for him won't bring him back, but she's been in denial.
Quote #8
"I have walked in Death to the very precipice of the Ninth Gate," Abhorsen said quietly. "I know the secrets and horrors of the Nine Precincts. I do not know what lies beyond, but everything that lives must go there, in the proper time. That is the rule that governs our work as the Abhorsen, but it also governs us. You are the fifty-third Abhorsen, Sabriel. I have not taught you as well as I should—let this be my final lesson. Everyone and everything has a time to die." (23.36)
Well said, Abhorsen. Sabriel's father states a major idea in this book, right out loud: Everyone and everything has a time to die. This speech neatly summarizes the beliefs of all those who become the Abhorsen. Mortality, to the Abhorsen, is neither good nor bad—instead it is simply necessary.
Quote #9
They felt a terrible urge to leave their bodies, to shuck them off as so much worn-out baggage. Their spirits—their essential selves—wanted to go, to go into Death and plunge joyfully into the strongest current, to be carried to the very end.
"Think of Life!" screamed Sabriel, her voice only just audible through the pure note. She could feel Touchstone dying, his will insufficient to hold him in Life. He seemed almost to expect this sudden summons into Death. (23.55-56)
When Sabriel's father rings Astarael, the final bell, its sound calls Touchstone and Sabriel into Death. They cling to each other, and in the end, it's their love for each other that keeps them in Life. What do you think Nix is saying here about the power of love versus the power of death?
Quote #10
Death seemed colder than ever before, Sabriel thought, and wondered why, till she realized she was still lying down. […]
"Everyone and everything has a time to die…" she whispered. The living world and its cares seemed far away.
[…]
Something grabbed her arms and legs, picked her up out of the water and set her down on her feet. "This is not your time," said a voice, a voice echoed by half a hundred others. (E.1-4)
In the epilogue, Sabriel echoes her father's words and the core beliefs of the Abhorsen, showing that she's come to accept this belief, and is freely accepting her own death. Even so, it's not Sabriel's time to die, and the spirits of former Abhorsen bring her back to life so that she can continue as Abhorsen herself.